BRING IT ON –
Oct. 14, 2025 – She began taking a drug similar to Ozempic while living at a Rhode Island nonprofit for formerly incarcerated and homeless people. She gets the medication, called a GLP-1, free through a pilot program testing the weight loss and obesity drugs as a treatment for addiction. The drug helped Ms. Massarone, who had also battled obesity, lose 17 pounds. Critically, it also allowed her to overcome drug cravings in situations that had once defeated her. “I have a very strong faith,” she said, “but sometimes that’s not enough.”
Ms. Massarone has now been in recovery for 17 months. She recently left Open Doors to live in an apartment with a woman she met in that program. When we spoke, she was preparing for a weekend visit with her 13-year-old twins — a boy and a girl — and her 16-year-old daughter.
Stories like Ms. Massarone’s underscore why research into GLP-1s for addiction needs more investment. Unlike new drug compounds that take years to develop, GLP-1s are already approved and appear quite safe, which means they could reach people far sooner, while also offering broader health benefits.
